That's not what the text says... It says Bernie is telling him to better communicate his reasoning.
this post was submitted on 18 Jul 2025
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His reasoning has been perfectly well communicated, the people calling him anti-semitic are acting in bad faith and their is no critism of Israel they wouldn't call anti-semitic. And Sanders knows this but is playing along anyway
Bernie is telling him to not criticize Israel because that is antisemitic.
No he isn't. He is saying to make sure you are clear about why you are criticizing Israel so it doesn't get interpreted as antisemitic.
Bernie is spreading anti Palestinian genocidal blood libel against Zohran and you are pretending he's helping
That's just obviously incorrect. Even the evidence you just posted and highlighted contradicts your conclusion. You're being willfully ignorant at this point.
My post perfectly supports my claim.
In your dream world it does. Again, people are buying your bullshit. You realize the same person you're accusing of being pro Israel is also accused by the Heritage Foundation as part of Project Esther to be part of the "Hamas Support Network"?
The “Hamas Caucus” has support in the Senate from Bernie Sanders (I–VT); Chris Van Hollen (D–MD); Elizabeth Warren (D–MA); and, to varying degrees, several others.
https://www.heritage.org/progressivism/report/project-esther-national-strategy-combat-antisemitism
Maybe do even the slightest bit of research before you speak next time.
The Israel lobby accuses Joe Biden of being Hamas. What is your point?
You're showing your willful ignorance again.
"My argument is demolished. Time to call the other party bad faith".
Lol, you're delusional. Good try trolling. Look at the votes and tell me who's argument is demolished.
The votes tell me that people are dumber than I thought.
Maybe one day you'll learn you're not as smart as you think.
this interchange is bonkers because this is the definition of antisemitic now according to the american government which is using it to justify all sorts of horrible actions.
Interpreting it THAT poorly is as unhinged as thinking criticizing Israel makes someone antisemitic
What does this mean?
"They will twist your words. Make them untwistable"
"Watch your phrasing, Israel and the media will take anything out of context"
Are you sure you know who Bernie Sanders is
If you think any of this should be said to Zohran Mamdani:
Are you sure you know who Zohran mamdani is?
Really not sure what the point of your ire is here. And you’re kind of coming off like an ass.
AIPAC and the people they influence are notorious for twisting and misrepresenting rhetoric that’s even slightly critical of the Israeli government. It pays to be extremely deliberate and careful when speaking publicly on those topics. You and I may understand the nuance of Mamdani’s position, but (to be blunt) a lot of more stupid and/or less engaged voters on NYC won’t necessarily have the same reaction. You’ll probably deride me as a “centrist” for saying this, but to ignore the propagandistic influence that AIPAC exerts is essentially an unforced error. So, yes, it is a absolutely good and correct to call out Bibi’s genocidal campaign, but it is a way better idea to do that in a specific, careful, and nuanced fashion, in the interest of minimizing AIPAC’s ability to twist the words into a weapon against him.
This line very specifically implies that Zohran has crossed the line in the past and does not make the correct distinction.
No it doesn’t. It’s an acknowledgement that the Israeli government and zionists in general have a strong tendency to jump on and misrepresent even the most mildly critical statements, and to be careful in that context. Sanders is providing pragmatic, tactical political advice, nothing more. And that’s fine and appropriate. Stop trying to outrage farm against people who actually do support Palestinians and are meaningfully against genocide.
more means that he believes that Zohran currently does not make the distinction well enough.
I’m not going to litigate semantics of the English language with you.
In my estimation, you are reading far more nuance into that statement than is either implied or meant directly. I disagree with your evaluation, and I think you’re just trying to pointlessly stir up trouble where there’s not actually a problem.
No. Bernie Sanders said words. These words mean things. And Sanders knows exactly what he is doing.
You’re not going to convince me by being pithy and making inaccurate negative insinuations about one of the very few genuinely upstanding politicians that exist in this country.
When you are so infatuated with a politician that you refuse to acknowledge their faults.
Reminds me of a certain red cap folk.
The real question is why I even replied when I'm sure I know you're a disingenuous troll.
Based on the downvotes in this thread and the other one you posted, it seems no one like your opinion or feigned ignorance. But don't take to mean you're an underground hero, some takes really are just that bad.
Nice try. Bernie is very critical of Israels actions himself but don't take my word for it, since you can't be bothered looking it up yourself befor posting misinformation, here is his own statement about the matter: www.sanders.senate.gov/press-releases/news-sanders-statement-on-israel-palestine-and-growing-humanitarian-disaster/
Sanders has pretty consistently tried to blame it all on Netanyahu specifically while letting Israel as a whole off the hook. He's also still a genocide denier
While it is true Sanders has actually dared to criticize Israel repeatedly. There are lines he will not cross, accusations he will not make and things he will not do.
He is the most leftward of the USA senators, which is to say he is a centralist elsewhere; and the OP is all about him doing centralist things: a balancing act
Lastly, Hamas has been very clear, both before its barbaric attack on October 7th and after that attack, that their goal is perpetual warfare and the destruction of Israel. Just last week a spokesman for Hamas, Mr. Taher El-Nounou, told the New York Times, “I hope that the state of war with Israel will become permanent on all the borders, and that the Arab world will stand with us.” I am not quite sure how you negotiate a ceasefire with a terrorist organization that is dedicated to perpetual war.
Holy YIKES at least get a more recent quote instead of "I oppose a ceasefire and want all Palestinians to be killed" Sanders.
Bernie has criticize Israel in the past. He's saying to make sure not to say anything that could be taken out of context by a bad actor.
It's a complex issue Bernie is alluding to. There are a lot of Jewish people who think of Israel of sort of "Their place" in the world where they are centered and the controlling stake of culture. People who are raised to think this way feel critism towards the place as an attack on their Jewishness. Those feelings can override and get in the way of treating Isreal as a country, with a political agenda and make it feel as though it were a criticism of Jewish people.
You know that whole "facts don't care about your feelings" thing the right gets on about? It's actually backwards. Feelings do not care about facts and if you don't adequately explain your purpose you can make people feel victimized even when they aren't. Jewish people who feel victimized by critism of Israel are responding to a mix of cultural programming because the idea of Israel is their security blanket. Problem is the security blanket isn't actually securing them from anything, it was just a tool to soothe anxieties about having a place to retreat to free of persecution... and now that the security blanket has been proven to be woven out of asbestos and warcrimes the trauma of prying peoples attachment from it is causing damage amongst a historically persecuted group. This is Bernie's reminder - to be sensitive to the process of individual trauma while detangling them from the genocidal regime it's emotionally fuzed to.
It's not complex at all. It's Nazi-like settler colonialism.
And Zohran already very clearly seperates Zionism and Judaism. Bernie is concern trolling. As is anyone pretending he has a valid point.
Not saying Israel is complex. Dealing with the victims of the propaganda is complex.
Compassion isn't just good praxis, people who fall back on feeling victimized double down on whatever their base investment is. If you want people to accept facts and actually change their minds you have to engage the person's feelings first.
Dealing with the propagand is complex and Zohran is doing an amazing job at it. Bernie is smearing him with blood libel here pretending he isn't.
Leading every statement in Israel with "now, keep in mind, in not being antisemitic... but..." Is a good way to sound antisemitic.
not let himself seem like he's minimizing the fear of Jews in New York and elsewhere feel from the threat of hate against them.
Yes, Mamdani should absolutely not minimize the fears of Jews, for many Jews fear being lumped in and associated with the hate-group movement known as Zionism. It is important that he make a clear statement on the distinction that Jews are not Zionists (not by default, though sadly some Jews have bought into the Nazi-like cult of Zionism) and Zionists are not necessarily Jews. It must be reiterated that Judaism is completely distinct from Zionism, the Nazi-like fascist cult, and to conflate the two is deeply antisemitic. Mamdani would do well to make it known that he will not stand for this kind of slander of the Jewish people and that he will do whatever he can with his powers as Mayor to prevent any such attempts to further smear Jewish people with the Zionist label. Mamdani should remind all of New York City that Jews are lovingly welcomed, but the antisemitic Zionists shall not be tolerated.
I wonder what old Bernard's reaction would have been if Mamdani had responded to him with something like that.